Foods and drinks , every product they have a label for consumer to refers. The labeling contains nutritions,ingredients, expired date and etc. But what are the importance of labeling in consumer products?
Most packages, whether final customer packaging or distribution packaging, are imprinted with information intended to assist the customer. For consumer products, labeling decisions are extremely important for the following reasons.
- Captures Attention - Labels serve to capture the attention of shoppers. The use of catchy words may cause strolling customers to stop and evaluate the product.
- Offers First Impression - The label is likely to be the first thing a new customer sees and thus offers their first impression of the product.
- Provides Information - The label provides customers with product information to aid their purchase decision or help improve the customer’s experience when using the product (e.g., recipes).
- Aids Purchasing - Labels generally include a universal product codes (UPC) and, in some cases, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, that make it easy for resellers, such as retailers, to checkout customers and manage inventory.
- Addresses Needs in Global Markets - For companies serving international markets or diverse cultures within a single country, bilingual or multilingual labels may be needed.
- Meets Legal Requirements - In some countries many products, including food and pharmaceuticals, are required by law to contain certain labels such as listing ingredients, providing nutritional information or including usage warning information.
1. What is product labeling and the importance of labeling?
Everyday products are multiplying in the market place and consumers are offered a variety of products to choose from and use. Consumers need information on products such as the name, price, contents of the product, directions for use, storage and warnings of dangers, if any. Product labelling is therefore information given to consumers on the product and its use. The importance of product labelling, is therefore, to;
- inform consumers of the product, its name, content, price and other relevent information;
- help them make choices on the product to purchase;
- guide them how to use such products, how to store it and what dangers to avoid.
Product labelling is becoming synonymous with consumer protection. With more and more products in the market, product labelling is growing in importance daily.
2. What are the key characteristics of good product labelling?
Good labelling must cover 5 important areas, namely;
- Provide basic information: The product label must state the brand name, the price, the standard certification or expiry date for food products and the name and address of the manufacturer.
- Details of the content or ingredients: A good product label should give information on the contents, and for food items, the ingredients used. The information provided must be such that consumers can understand the meaning or look the meaning up in a dictionary and not some term coined up by the manufacturer of his/her product advertising agent. The information must include the weight and measurements as well.
- Instruction for use: Another characteristic of a good label is one that contains clear and precise instructions on the use of the product. In addition to product labelling, more product information is needed such as on electrical equipment, computers, machinery, etc. In the case of food items, tonics and medicines, the amount and dosage must be clearly stated. The instruction should include instructions for storage and maintenance.
- Warning and contra indications: A good label should also contain warnings of possible dangers and hazards. In the case of food and medicines, the label should provide contra indivations and possible side effects.
- Visible and easy to read: Labels are for consumers. A good label is one that is visible and easy to read not just coding and signs for the use of the retailers and manufacturers. Often, like in the case of medicine, in addition to the core message in the label, detailed information should be provided by means of information sheets.
3. What are the roles and responsibilities of manufacturers in labelling?
The final responsibility for consumer redress and the burden of consumer protection lies more with the manufacturer rather than the retailer. The maxim "caveat emptor:' that is "let buyer beware" is no longer an excuse for manufacturers to produce shoddy goods that endanger the safety of consumers. Retailers who market the products rely on the manufacturer information and warranty. Increasingly, they are now holding manufacturers responsible for product information and safety. The responsibilities of product labelling and safety are now clearly that of manufacturers. In this context, we can assign four roles and responsibilities to manufacturers on product labelling.
- Role and responsibility 1: Become accountable
The manufacturer must be thoroughly sure and convinced that the product he/she is producing is safe for use or consumption. Consumer satisfaction, protection and wellbeing should over-ride the profit consideration and decision making. - Role and responsibility 2: Provide accurate and truthful information
Product labelling is to inform, educate and protect consumers in their act of using or consuming a product. Not to mislead them and profiteers from their ignorance. It therefore becomes the responsibility of the manufacturer to provide accurate information. Product labelling and product information provided by manufacturers must be accurate and truthful. - Role and responsibility 3: Educate and train the retailers
Retailers sell products of manufacturers to consumers. According to the experience of the consumer movement in Malaysia, often the retailers who market the product are unable to explain the labels on the product nor guide consumers in the use and consumption of such products. They simply ask the consumers to read and make the interpretation. They are unable to assist. If the manufacturers trained the retailers and educated them to help consumers, even illiterate consumers could benefit from the information support given by the retailers. Manufacturers' service to consumers is still weak. - Role and responsibility 4: Be committed to consumer redress
Manufacturers are human beings. And no human is perfect and without mistakes. Manufacturers must aspire at all time to ensure consumer safety and satisfaction. If consumers are hurt or injured in the course of the sale and use of products, the respective manufacturers must be committed to provide redress, use the feedback for product re-call and improve product weaknesses. Ethical business conduct not only provides protection to consumers, in the long run it also gains consumer support for its products and business.
4. What can consumers do to ensure proper product labelling?
It is often said that the consumer is the king or queen, as the case may be, in the economic system. But often consumers become jokers and clowns and are exploited by ubscrupulous businesspersons. To exercise our power as consumers and to change things for better we need to act. We must make things happen and not just wait or talk about things happening. Consumers can do four things that will contribute to the promotion of ethical and accurate product labelling.
- Consumer must adopt the habit and practice of reading product labels critically
The first thing the consumers must learn to do is to promote ethical and accurate product labelling. We must adopt the habit and practice of reading product labels critically. Once the manufacturers and retailers become aware that consumers are reading labels critically and buying products that give accurate information, the manufacturers will learn how to improve their product labelling. Consumers can motivate good labelling practice through such habits. - Consumers must learn to provide feedback and information on inadequate and misleading product labelling
The second thing the consumers can do to improve labelling is to proactively provide feedback and information on inadequate and misleading product labelling. Consumers need to communicate to the manufacturers and retailers about the weaknesses they find in product labelling. By doing so, the consumers will create awareness amongst the manufacturers and retailers on the need for better product labelling. Such information will also help the businesspersons to improve the development of accurate product labelling through a continuous process of reform. - Consumers must join and support the consumer associations to advocate good product labelling
The third thing the consumers can do is to join a consumer's association and collectively advocate good and accurate product labelling. The aim of a consumers' association is to educate and protect consumers. By joining a consumers association and working collectively, we are educating ourselves and in the process, proactively advocating for better product labelling. Such action will also motivate manufacturers and retailers to provide better and more accurate product labelling. - Consumers must learn to boycott products that contain misleading labels and products of manufacturers who do not respond to consumer redress
In addition to the above three actions, consumers can also boycott products that contain misleading labels and also the products of manufacturers who do not respond to consumer feedback and redress. Such firm action will induce manufacturers to improve product labelling and adopt more responsible trade practices. Such action will also help promote more responsible and ethical trade practices and business.
As the saying goes "You are what you eat". These days most items contain food preservatives and food colour. Youngsters eat cereal and consume sports drinks that are blue, green and multicolored. Research shows that colour is not good for the body and may even have carcinogenic - inducing cancer- properties. Younger kids eat lollipops and cotton candy which is pure sugar and colour. Checking out food labels can help one choose the right amount of natural Vitamin A & C, calcium and iron for kids and avoid the junk.
The new age design of food labels are easy to read and are so friendly that even young children understand them. Following the labels helps one in creating balanced lunch boxes for kids, picking up the right nutrients for ailing or elderly people or selecting the right dietary mix for the fashionable.
